As the Fifa World Cup 2026 gets underway tonight across the United States, Mexico and Canada, football fans around the world are preparing for a month-long festival of goals, drama and unforgettable moments.
With the tournament expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches for the first time in history, World Cup 2026 is expected to produce more goals than any previous edition. Yet one of football’s most coveted individual honours remains impossible to predict. The Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.
Several of the game’s biggest stars arrive in North America with strong claims to finish atop the scoring charts.
France captain Kylian Mbappe begins the tournament as one of the leading favourites. The 27-year-old already has 12 World Cup goals to his name and enters the competition in exceptional form, having scored 39 goals in his last 49 appearances for Les Bleus. After winning the Golden Boot in Qatar four years ago, Mbappe is chasing a rare consecutive triumph.
England’s Harry Kane is another strong contender. The Three Lions captain, who claimed the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, remains one of the most prolific strikers in international football.
With 79 goals for England and a remarkable scoring record for Bayern Munich, Kane could become the first player in history to win the award twice.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal is viewed as a potential dark horse. While less heralded than some of the game’s global superstars, the forward has enjoyed a remarkable run of form, scoring 13 goals in his last 13 appearances for the European champions. Surrounded by creative talents such as Pedri, Nico Williams and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, Oyarzabal could emerge as one of the tournament’s surprise stars.
Norway’s Erling Haaland also enters his first World Cup carrying enormous expectations. The Manchester City striker has scored an astonishing 55 goals in just 50 international appearances, making him one of the most feared finishers in world football.
Despite Norway being drawn into a difficult group, few defenders will relish facing Haaland.
No Golden Boot discussion would be complete without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
At 39, Messi continues to defy age and expectations. The Argentine legend has scored 117 international goals and remains a central figure for the defending world champions. Interestingly, despite his extraordinary World Cup career and 13 goals in the competition, the Golden Boot remains one of the few major accolades missing from his collection.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, arrives at his sixth World Cup as international football’s all-time leading scorer with 143 goals for Portugal. Even at 40 years of age, the veteran forward continues to find the net consistently and will be eager to improve on his best World Cup scoring return of four goals.
Spain’s teenage superstar Lamine Yamal is another name generating excitement. The winger will still be only 18 when the tournament begins and could become the youngest Golden Boot winner in World Cup history. While renowned for his creativity, Yamal’s eye for goal has developed rapidly over the past two seasons.
France’s Ousmane Dembele, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Raphinha complete a list packed with attacking quality. Dembele has transformed himself into a prolific scorer at club level, while Vinicius and Raphinha will carry much of Brazil’s attacking burden as the five-time champions seek a return to World Cup glory.
As the opening whistle approaches and football’s biggest stage comes alive once again, the race for the Golden Boot promises to be one of the tournament’s most fascinating subplots. Whether it is an established legend such as Messi or Ronaldo, a modern superstar like Mbappe or Kane, or an emerging talent such as Yamal, the battle to become World Cup 2026’s leading scorer is set to captivate fans from the very first match.
For now, all predictions remain just that. History suggests the World Cup can produce an unexpected hero.
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